News & Events

Approximately 900 students were up in arms yesterday, fighting for the honour of World's Largest Sword Fight in the Guinness Book of World Records. For 12 consecutive minutes students were battling it out with plastic swords, trying to break the previous record of 483. Last year, more than 1,000 members of the Ryerson community came together to break the Guinness World Record for the largest dance class.

President Sheldon Levy started the sword fight with a bang, leading the student body in a lively chant of "Ryerson! Ryerson! Ryerson! We Got The Spirit!" Alan Shepard, Provost and Vice President Academic and Heather Lane Vetere, Vice Provost Students, welcomed new and returning students to Ryerson. They blasted a steady stream of confetti into the air to get the crowd energized for the sword fight.

Patrice Hall, a third-year School of Early Childhood Education student and volunteer with the Ryerson Orientation Crew, said the Guinness Book of World Record challenge is a great way to introduce first-year students to Ryerson.

"Interacting with other people within their program and making new friends is what events like this are all about," Hall said. "People are always excited to participate in a world record. Everyone knows what the Guinness Book of World Records is and to flip through it and see Ryerson's name is pretty cool. Not everyone can say they were a part of a Guinness World Record."